Donner Truckee Veterinary Hospital - Truckee, California

Marc Grabowski

Dr vannini is awesome. She and the whole crew are amazing. I took my boxer, Sid, there with snot pouring out of my nose and sobbing uncontrollably. They helped me through the worst day of my life. Super professional and understanding. They wrote me a hand written letter I received later with their condolences. Prior to that they were always extremely accommodating and helpful. None of the: “well you have to bring him in and spend $300 so I can tell you he is ok and refill a prescription” BS like other vets in the area. They actually care.

Liana Assenmacher

Took our six-year-old King Charles Cavalier in after she developed large mass in her neck. Was able to get into see the vet right away. We probably waited 15-20 minutes in the waiting room, maybe 45 minutes in the treatment room. Dr. Vannini was efficient, and very friendly. Our girl had an infection and was given antibiotics. The mass was aspirated and will be sent up to cytology and we will be contacted with results . Overall, really wonderful experience. I think my only complaint was that the office is extremely cold so if you’re going to go there, take a jacket.

MAX MTZTRUCKAUTO

Brought in our sick pup as an emergency situation on Saturday as we were vacationing at Donner lake for the weekend. Doctor H was on it and ran a bunch of tests to figure out what was going on with our Kingsley. We appreciate the care and urgency and found out our boy had mild - moderate case of pancreatitis. After given meds and new food he is already on the mend. Bravo to the entire staff and to Doctor H for all that you did and do. We appreciate you! Many Thanks , Rebecca & Max

Tricia Pugliese

As my husband said, 5 stars aren't enough to show the appreciation for Dr. Vannini and the staff at Donner Truckee Veterinary Hospital. We first met Dr Vannini in a not pet related situation but we immediately saw how gentle and wonderful she was with our girl Gypsy. When Gypsy had a medical issue we got her into DonnerTruckee Vet Hospital immediately. Dr. Vannini gave her the best care and tested her for all necessary things that could be causing her twitching (seizures?) We were advised that the problem was likely a brain lesion, and there was little we could do other than make her comfortable.
In just a few weeks Gypsy started to go blind. Dr. Vannini got her into the office immediately again and confirmed she was going blind quickly due to a rapid progressing lesion. She set an appointment to see Gypsy again in a month but it was only two weeks later Gypsy was acting confused and was apparently starting to feel significant discomfort. Dr Vannini got her in immediately when we made the sad decision to help Gypsy cross over the rainbow bridge. Dr Vannini (we call her by her first name now) cried with us while we said our good byes. That is a vet with a beautiful heart.
While this review is mostly about Dr Vannini, I can't say enough about the staff at DTVH. Everyone was incredibly professional, caring and thoughtful. We live in Reno but will make the trip to Truckee with our next pet because of this kind of compassion and professionalism.

Alex Graham

I’m usually not one to post reviews but I felt the need to warn other pet owners of my experience there this morning (4/23/2024). We have trusted this vet to care for our two huskies for over 5 years while living in Truckee and have seen a few doctors come and go throughout our time there. They are expensive but we’ve learned to accept that in exchange for the convenience of not driving to Reno. We were scheduled to drop off our dog for an all day procedure today however when I arrived to drop off my dog and helped walk her back to the back room I overheard two female vets or techs yelling and screaming at each other in a completely unprofessional way behind the closed doors. I could clearly hear them fighting and they were yelling back and forth about administering some sort of expired medication. I left with a sinking feeling in my gut not feeling ok about leaving my dog with a vet or technician who would choose to not only have a child like argument rather than a professional conversation with each other but also who let the mistake of a expired vaccine or medication to occur in the first place. It was clear from what I overheard that they had made a mistake that may have caused harm to another animal under their care or were considering the potential risks of using an expired medicine due to a national shortage. This argument was occurring at 8 am right after they opened, so you can only imagine how the rest of the day would go if the employees can’t even get along and are screaming at each other in the back room first thing in the morning. I went out to my car for a few minutes in shock of what I had just overheard and ultimately decided that I did not feel comfortable leaving my dog with them and went back in to take her home with me. The ladies at the front desk were absolutely wonderful and empathetic about the situation and my decision to cancel the appointment. For the prices you are charging your customers should be able to expect the highest level of service and screaming at each other like children in the back room where customers can overhear the conversation is completely unacceptable. Learn how to talk to each other like adults or take a walk if you are feeling so upset you feel the need to scream at each other, that is not the experience you want your customers to have when they walk in the door and expect to trust you with their pet. It is also unacceptable that you are potentially using expired treatments in your practice and I hope that this was an accident and is not the standard operating procedure. Either way there should be some sort of system in place to ensure expired medicines and vaccines are properly disposed of so that this accident cannot occur in the first place. I will be filing a complaint with the California Veterinary Board and hope that the owner of the dog who was potentially administered an expired medication also does the same and I will not be returning ever again after this experience as they have completely lost our trust. We will be switching to another vet due to their lack of professionalism and clear issues between staff.

Nancy Guittard

Excellent vets -Dr.V and Dr. H. and outstanding staff. Our senior dog Nigel has had more than one urgent care need and they have always accepted him same day and provided medical relief for him and follow-up plans. I highly recommend them.

Dina Brasil

If I could give this business more stars, I would. I was just in the area for a weekend trip with my family and our beloved 14-year-old dog who had some existing health issues. Our dog took a turn for the worst and we rushed her into the nearest emergency vet. I already suspected that this would be goodbye and after an initial exam and review of the medical records we'd had faxed, Dr. H very kindly broke down our options. He never pressured me into a choice and left it entirely up to me. I knew in my soul the kindest thing I could do for my old suffering girl was to let her go and Dr. H was so kind and calm and displayed the kind of empathy and support you need in a time like that. All of the administrative details were worked out by the front office staff quickly and as unobtrusively as possible, including payment, before the medication was administered so that I could just focus on being with and saying goodbye to my girl until the end. That was such an underrated, thoughtful thing to do. Though this experience was a hard and tearful one, I am grateful that it occurred in a place where the staff really did care and showed us so much grace and kindness. Today I received a card in the mail with handwritten messages of condolence from the staff there. These people are wonderful.

Risa Matsumura

Dr. Vanini is incredible. She really has the pets' best interest in mind. She doesn't make you feel stupid for asking a million questions and she explains things differently if you don't understand the process or what's happening.

The staff there are professional and genuinely want to make sure you are comfortable and taken care of. The doctor's assistant asked if I was comfortable being in the same room while they took some blood for blood work. I thought that was SO considerate!

Days after the surgeries, they called to check in on us and if I had any questions. No doctor has ever done that! Despite being so incredibly busy, they make time to check up on you and your pet.

I wouldn't recommend anyone else in Truckee!